Improvement in car-starters



2 Sheets-Sheet I. c. AvHRVEY.

CAR-STARTER.

No. 190,853. 'Patented May 15, 1877.

NJETERs, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

2 Sheets-$heet 2 C. A. HARVEY.

CAR-STARTER.

No. 190,853. Patented Maylfi, 1877.

N.PETER$, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C- UNITED STATES PATENTCFFIGE.

CHARLES A. HARVEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 190,553, dated May 15,1877; application filed April 17, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. HARVEY, of Washington city, District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-Starters, of which the following is the specification:

The object ofmy invention is'a street-car, constructed as fullydescribed hereafter, so as to permit the brakes to be applied by themovement of a lever, and by the other movements of the same or of anindependent lever to impart the initial movement to the car quickly andwith comparatively little exertion of power.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of sufficientof a street-car to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectionalelevation, showing part of the devices. .Fig. 3 is an inverted planview; Fig. 4, a sectional elevation, showing a modification; and Fig. 5a detached view enlarged.

The platform A is provided with hangers, and is supported by the flangedwheels a, in the usual manner. The brake-shoes d are secured to thebrake-bars b, which are suspended, by flexible hangers c, or otherwise,from the car-frame. To the center of each brakebeam is jointed the outerend of one of a pair of toggle-levers, e e, and to the coupling-pin e ofsaid levers is. jointed the lower end of an arm, f, the upper end ofwhich is provided with a friction-roller, 6, having its bearing upon aplate, a, at the under side of the platform, the said plate being,preferably, inclined and grooved. Below the front of the platform isjointed a lever, B, the upper end of which is connected, by a rod, g, tothe lever f.

From the bottom of the platform, on a line with the wheels, aresuspended hangers C C, to each of which is jointed, by two links, h h, apinch-bar, D, the foot m of which is rounded and roughened on the underside in the same manner as that of an ordinary hand pinch-bar. The twopinch-bars are connected by a crossbar or rod, E,'the ends j of whichform the coupling-pins uniting the pinch-bars D and links h, the rodbeing curved downward, as shown, so that its movements will not conflictwith those of the brake mechanism.

To a stud beneath the rear end of the platform is hung the rear end of alever, F, which is forked at the inner end, each branch u having a slot,n, through which the rod E passes, and to the inner end of each fork isjointed the lowermost of a pair of toggles, 0'. The center pin of eachtoggle is connected to one of the branches of a forked bar, G, which isjoin-ted to the lower end of a lever, H, extending through and above theplatform, and pivoted centrally thereto. To the platform adjacent to thelever H is hung a hand-lever, I, the lower end of which may be broughtagainst the lower end of the lever B, and which is provided with a stud,17, arranged to strike the lever H when the handle is drawn back.

When the movement of the car has to be arrested the hand-lever 1 isthrown forward by the driver until the lower end strikes the lower endof the lever B, which will be turned, as shown by the arrow, Fig. 1,drawing forward the rod g and the upper end of the arm f, therebydepressing the toggles c, and forcibly applying the brakes. By leavingthe upper end of the arm f free, and giving it a sliding bearin g uponthe plate a, a most simple and effective means of applying power to thetoggles, quickly and with little friction, is provided. When the car isto be started the lever l is pulled back, so as to straighten thetoggles 0 0, and is then pushed forward, so as to fold them, theseoperations being several times repeated. The operation of the toggles 00 alternately raises and depresses the ends of the forked lever F andthe cross-bar E, carrying the pinch-bars D to the positions shown inplain and dotted lines, Fig. 5. Thus, when the lever F is raised thebars D are carried to the position shown in Fig. 5; but as the lever isdepressed, the bar is gradually brought in line with the links, and isforced forward until its end is wedged between the tread of the wheeland the rail, as shown in dotted lines at. The further downward movementof the lever depresses merely the outer end of the pinch-bar, causing itto rock on the rounded face of the foot m, which bites into the rail, sothat it cannot slide, while the pointed inner end rises and turns thewheel in precisely the same manner as the ordinary hand pinch-bar, themovements of which are more closely copied by means of the arrangementof devices above described than when the power is applied to the firstlink, as heretofore. A series of such movements resulting from thealternate backward and forward motions of the lever I will soon give therequisite forward motion to the car, which motion may be instantlyarrested at any time by extend ing the forward movement of the lever I,so as to bring it against the lever B, and operate the brake, as beforedescribed.

It will be seen that the irregular and somewhat complicated movements ofthe pinchbars are obtained through the medium of the links h h and thevibrating rod E, and that the arrangement of devices for operating thesaid rod is of an extremely simple character, readily adapted for carsof the ordinary construction. Where it is not expedient to use a singlelover, I, as described, for operating both the brake and the pinch-bars,a separate lever, I, may be used for the brake, as shown in Fig. 4.

I do not confine myself to the precise devices described for operatingthe pinch-bars, as other devices connected at the points j--as a slottedcam-might be used, and it will be seen that the arm f may be attached toa shaft or pivoted at the upper end, and have its sliding bearing on aplate or roller attached to the toggles.

I claim- I 1. The combination of the pinch-bars D D, hung below theplatform, their operating devices connected to the lever H, thebrake-shoes d, their operating devices connected to the lever B, and thehand-lever I, arranged to bear both on the lever B and on the lever H,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the toggles attached to the brake-bars of anarm, f, interposed between the toggles and the platform, pivoted at oneend, and having a sliding bearing at the other, substantially as setforth.

3. The pinch-bars D, their links it h, in combination with the devices,substantially as described, for applying the power to elevate anddepress the bars to the joints j, as set forth.

4. The combination of the bars D, their links h h, cross-rod E, lever F,and toggles o, operated from a lever on the platform, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

(J. A. HARVEY.

Witnesses:

0. E. FOSTER, FRED. BENJAMIN.

